Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Public
Security Bureau held a press conference to announce the arrest of 52
netizens for "spreading rumors", "stirring up ethnic relations" and
"sensationalizing conflicts".

China has launched a
major new “Strike Hard” campaign against Internet freedom in Southern
(Inner) Mongolia. At least 52 more netizens have been arrested for “creating
and spreading rumors”, according to a statement issued by the Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau on August 29, 2013.

“Upholding the
principle of ‘strike, investigate and punish group by group’, this round of
special operation further traces the clue, deepens the investigation, digs
deeper to unearth organized rumor networks, accurately strikes the major
targets, strikes hard and deters these criminal activities in order to
protect the legal rights of the broad masses,” the statement concludes.

The Chinese
authorities’ official mouthpiece Xinhua News provided additional details on
the crackdown, reporting that of the 52 “criminal suspects” who were
arrested, “21 were held in police administrative detention, 10 fined, 3
warned, 18 educated and reprimanded.”

“Some even
sensationalized the conflicts that occurred during the development process
in Inner Mongolia, deliberately stirring up ethnic relations, encouraging
the masses to appeal for their interests in a radical way such as student
strikes and protest demonstrations,” the Xinhua News article partially
admits to the increasingly tense ethnic relations between the Mongolians and
the Chinese in Southern Mongolia.

The article also
reveals that this round of “Strike Hard” campaign is “implemented by the
Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau in response to the request from the
Autonomous Region leaders and the consolidated deployment by the Public
Security Ministry”. The goal of this campaign is to “establish a long-term
mechanism for suppressing Internet rumors”, according to the article.

Shortly before this
major crackdown, similar events were also reported by the Chinese Public
Security authorities in Southern Mongolia.

Mr. Yang Xiaoping,
Deputy Director of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Public Security
Bureau, told the Chinese official news agency China Broadcast Network on
August 13, 2013 that 23 netizens were “punished” for “spreading rumors”
related to “China’s plan to relocate earthquake evictees from Sichuan
Province to Inner Mongolia”. Among the 23 netizens, “1 was held in criminal
detention, 10 held in administrative detention, 2 fined, 1 given
administrative warning, and 6 students educated and reprimanded”, according
to Yang Xiaoping. “Most of these netizens disseminate these information out
of ethnic sentiment,” Yang Xiaoming told the China Broadcast Network about
the background of arrested Mongolian netizens, “however, through our
investigation we found out that some netizens have ulterior motives and are
trying to make some trouble to the society.”

On August 12, 2013,
another official news agency, the Inner Mongolia Daily reported that the
Public Security Bureau of Chifeng Municipality “punished” 15 netizens. Of
them “8 were given administrative detention, 2 fined, 1 warned, and 4
educated and reprimanded for spreading rumor” on China’s “plan for
relocating 1 million Chinese from the earthquake stricken province of
Sichuan to Inner Mongolia”.

On May 19, 2013,
Hulun-boir Daily, an official news agency of Hulun-boir Municipality,
reported that the Municipality Public Security Bureau “punished” 14 netizens
“in accordance with the law”. Of them, “4 were given administrative
detention and 10 were educated and reprimanded” for spreading “rumors” such
as “Mongolian herder of New Barag Right Banner committed suicide in
desperate shortage of hay for his livestock”.

On April 26, 2013,
Tongliao Daily, an official news agency of Tongliao Municipality, reported
that 5 netizens were arrested and detained by the Tongliao Municipality
Public Security Bureau for merely posting and disseminating information on
the 5.3 degree earthquake of Horchin Left Rare Banner through the Internet.

Original statement
published on the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Public
Security Bureau official website (click
to go to the link)